no_dopamine, I can certainly understand the doc’s desire to arrrange for a set time every week, but I work different nights every week, so finding a set time is extremely hard, unless I do it after school hours, which means (a) driving there and back in busy traffic, and (b) having my kids at home when I return from my appointment, which means I would be putting myself at bigger risk of a driving accident, and I wouldn’t be able to vent my emotions when arriving home, like I did last time. I could possibly set an early morning time, but if I worked the previous night, then I would have to deal with trying to sleep after going through the emotions of a therapy appointment. Which also wouldn’t be desirable. I really need to be able to book my appointments for when I have a day off.
I am mostly disappointed because I raised the issue of set appointment times when I was first told about my options. I stated that I worked shift work, and I would most likely need a different appointment time each week. I was told that this was the last thing I should worry about, and that it could be worked around without too much hassle. So when I was asked to nominate a set time, I was rather miffed. I am happy to book a block of appointments ahead of time, as I get my rosters, but to pick a set time and then have to change it only when it doesn’t suit is just too hard. I would either have to deal with the issues above, or change the time almost every week anyway.
As for a different therapist, I will see how things go. I am not sure if I “resonate” with this fellow or not. I think the idea of psychoanalysis hit me so much from left field that I am still sorting through my confusion over it all, and I need to separate out those feelings from my feelings about my doc as a therapist. He is certainly good at his job (the psychoanalysis bit of it) and I find I have a lot of respect for people who do their job well in such a difficult industry. He will be away for a conference in a few weeks, so I will have the chance to regroup and take stock of things then. It would be a suitable time to find another therapist, because if we are not “resonating” by then, I can assume it won’t happen.
On the meditation side of things, I am contemplating doing something like Tai Chi with my daughter. She had a meltdown the other day, because she couldn’t understand something. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, and out came all her frustrations with school work. She refuses to try any sort of therapy (after hating the CBT we tried), and she really needs something to help her relax and get away from her worries for a bit. She used to have a “safe place” within dance, but was bullied by some girls in her dance class and it upset her whole world, because dance was the one thing she was really, really good at, and when she was dancing, she felt safe and comfortable, and she would come truely alive. Anyone who saw her perform would not believe that it was the same quiet, introverted child they had come to know. Once she lost that safe place in her life, her anxieties really took hold, and she has not been settled since – even her dancing has suffered, as her self-esteem was shattered by the bullying. I can imagine that her natural grace would make her good at Tai Chi, and thus help her feel good about herself again, as well as giving her a “place of serenity” to “own”.
We’ll see. I am good at coming up with these ideas, but not so good on the follow through 